Archive for the Miscellaneous Category

Welcome to Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu. Today we have a new Guest Reviewer, Benjanun S! Yay! She’s taking a look at Re:CREATORS which she watched on Asian Straming platform iFlix, and which is available to folks in the USA on Amazon’s anime streaming service, Anime Strike. Please welcome Benjanun and settle in for an interesting review!

The first episode of Re:CREATORS opens with a suicide. An anonymous girl steps off a platform. A train runs over her. One of the strengths of Re:CREATORS is that it’s clever at subverting expectations. At the surface it has all the hallmarks of shounen — here’s an unremarkable teenage boy Souta thrust into extraordinary circumstances. It looks set to be a fairly average fantasy: anime and video game characters come to life, one of them is evil, it’s up to the plucky teenage boy and the fictional heroes to save the world. The villain is Altair, the mysterious creation responsible for manifesting all the other creations as part of her plan to destroy the world of the “gods of pleasure” by warping its logic until reality tears apart. She is sharply dressed, has a real flair for theatrics, speaks through the fourth wall (without actually breaking the fourth wall), and steals every scene she’s in. Her motivation — vengeance — may not break new ground, but it’s both understandable and compelling. I kept thinking how very, very gay she looked (many jokes of her being a femme top abounded on my timeline), but reserved my expectations.Toward the middle of the show, we finally discover the backstory and what is shown in episode one clicks together: the text messages, the suicide. It’s painfully topical. Setsuna, a young artist who’d become popular online, was falsely accused of plagiarism. The pressure mounted, the attacks continued, even her close friend Souta was not there for her, and she decided to end her life. But before she did, she created her final character: Altair, the omnipotent creation who came to life to avenge her creator.Due to the show’s setup, it felt like this story was going to be about Souta and his grieving, and finally his redemption in Setsuna’s eye. The show pulls the rug out from under this: in the penultimate episode, Souta successfully brings a version of Setsuna back, and it is the reunion between Altair and Setsuna — rather than Setsuna and Souta — that makes the story, it is the miracle that saves the world.

Re:CREATORS was a lesbian love story all along.

It makes sense: it was into Altair that Setsuna vested her final wishes, and she’d spent a long time creating Altair, making music videos of Altair — she was Setsuna’s magnum opus. And of course Altair loves her back: the penultimate episode is glorious, with them really meeting each other for the first time, finding each other painfully human. Setsuna accepts that her existence is temporary and that she’ll have to return to being dead; Altair refuses to let fate reassert. Together they create an infinity of universes in which they can forever be together, going on new adventures, making their own stories. “You and I will be gods,” they say to each other as they embrace.

It’s hard to imagine an ending more perfect, and it’s a fine repudiation of the tragic lesbian trope. I always say of lesbian characters that I wish they could just run away and be happy together forever. Re:CREATORS made that canon.Ratings:Art – 8. There are places where characters’ faces suffer somewhat, but generally the animation is slick, beautiful and doesn’t over-rely on CGI. You can freeze-frame any of the action and just about every shot would look fantastic.Story – 8. It’s best for people who prefer more talky shows, but it’s got a lot of flashy action sequences. I enjoy the pacing, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Characters – 10. I’m biased, but even if Altair weren’t so fantastic I’d still love pretty much the entire cast. It’s crowded

Yuri – 5. There’s some ambiguous relation between Alicetaria and Mamika, one scene of Meteora and Selesia engaging in a Pocky game. Then there’s an entire episode of Altair saving Setsuna from a second death (in slow-motion) where they hold onto each other and take up nearly all of the run-time hugging each other. It’s not as explicit as I’d like (please can’t they kiss?) but their episode is titled “I love you, too” which is as close as we can get to Yuri outside of specifically Yuri titles. Some clear homages to Puella Magi Magica Madoka, but happier and without the unfortunate implications of lesbians being emotionally unstable.

Service – 5. There’s one onsen episode. Otherwise, while Selesia’s outfit has a boob window the camera angles are always pointed away from T&A or panty shots.

Overall – 9. It’s not a conventional Yuri anime, but it’s a fantastic sleeper hit and the explosion of glorious lesbianism near the end ties it all together beautifully.

Light data dump today, catching up on random things from around the Yuri Network!

Starting off, YNN Corespondent Verso S writes in to tell us about “Haikara-san ga Touru, a manga set in Taisho Period about a tomboy, Benio, who has shockingly modern ideas about women’s worth and clothing and abilities, has been adapted and will be performed by the Takarazuka Revue in October.” Verso goes on to tell us that the series will also be getting “two new animated films, scheduled for release on November 11, 2017 and sometime in 2018.”

Dousei Seikatsu ~Kaishanin Yuri-ben!(同棲生活～社会人百合編～) is a digital Yuri manga about two adult office workers who live together, which is being serialized through Kadokawa’s Comic Walker Platform. Click the link for a free sample on the ComicWalker reader.

ANN Reports that Nozomi RightStuf’s Aria the Animationkickstarter blew through it’s initial and first stretch goal for a dub version, guaranteeing the first 13 episodes of Aria the Natural be part of the collection. A second stretch goal will meant that we’ll get Aria the Natural in full! With 16 days to go and only just over $20K to hit the goal, I’m betting we’ll see that happen.

I want to thank Boolkwalker Global for choosing me as one of their Gift Certificate giveaway winners! I’m loading up my Bookwalker account with stuff I know I’m going to want to read eventually. ^_^ I’m only mentioning it here to remind you all that when you get those mail surveys fill them out! I have 10000￥ to spend on manga now because I did!

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find.Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

I’m winging my way to celebrate Okazu’s 15th anniversary at Yurithon in Montreal. I really hope I’ll see many of you there. If you are a reader, please come up to say hello if you see me. I would love to meet you! I know I would, because so many of our friends here came up to me at conventions. Including today’s Guest Reviewer and Okazu Superhero, Eric P.! Eric’s been a long-time friend who came up to me at an event and a tremendous supporter of Yuri and Okau over the years. So please welcome back Eric with a new review!

Based on a RPG series, Tales of Zestiria the X starts off with a prologue episode—which stands terrifically on its own for its tone, atmosphere and breathtaking climactic visuals—in which a princess knight named Alisha investigates a strange weather phenomenon. It is later identified as the rise of Malevolence, an evil sickness plaguing not just her kingdom of Hyland but the rest of the world, feeding on the negative emotions of human beings and turning many into dark creatures called Hellions. Starting in the show’s “first” episode, she finds a good-hearted young man named Sorey, along with his best friend, Mikleo. Mikleo is one of the Seraphim, a celestial race of beings that once represented the harmony between humanity and earth, but had long isolated themselves when that connection was lost. The three of them know the legend of the Shepherd, the savior who could restore the harmony of the world and rid it of the Malevolence. Upon having met Alisha, an intrigued Sorey travels with Mikleo away from the Seraphim’s village to Hyland, where after one circumstance leading to another he dons the title of the Shepherd. From there he goes on a quest in finding the way to save the world, while also gaining an expanding fellowship of distinctive companions comprised of both humans and Seraphim.

On the surface, laying out the basic story elements can make Zestiria the X sound like a routine video game story, or like the usual formula of an epic fantasy saga of good vs. evil one would expect. But what manages to help Zestiria stand out from most similar series is due to ufotable’s production. As the studio responsible for the theatrical-level animation of Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, their quality is equally shown in this series while elevated to impressive new levels. The visuals with the cloud and water effects are beautifully stunning, the action scenes are fun as always, and the character animation has life to it… or at least matches well enough with the surrounding picture. Like their previous series I found myself drawn into and immersed within the story’s world, and charmed by the characters as I meet them one by one. Under any other Anime studio, Sorey could have been another bland do-gooder, but with ufotable’s execution he really does come across as a hero who is more likable and easy to root for than not.

Alisha undertakes her own mission to quell the Malevolence by stopping the war against the enemy kingdom of Rolance, including refusing to take up arms no matter what movement is taken by the opposite side. One of the other major supporting protagonists is Rose, a lively merchant by day but an assassin by night. Early on she takes the job against Alisha, because her ideals would bring greater harm or even death to good soldiers and the common people caught up in the struggle. But Rose soon learns Alisha is not the dangerously naïve princess she was lead to believe, and upon Alisha’s solemn vow that she would give her own life before losing anyone else’s to achieve her goals, Rose has a change of heart and stands by Alisha’s side.

Alisha and Rose fight hard and grow stronger, coming a long way on their own as well as a team duo. Then in the very final episode, Zestiria pulls a surprise(?) korrasami-type moment with their final scenes together, in which their friendship seems to start budding into something more. Nothing quite as explicit as a handhold, but there is no doubt suggestiveness in their playful exchange of dialogue, as well as the quick edits/close-ups of their affections during this exchange. The topic of marriage (to men, apparently) gets brought up by others, to which they brush off their own ways, with Alisha awkwardly looking away while Rose rolls her eyes and shrugs. One could easily see their journeys in a whole new light should one re-watch the series.

I like how the story stayed true to remaining morally gray while illustrating there are never any easy answers in what is always or just sometimes right and wrong. There is still a single villain in the climax that must be defeated, but even then things are not as clear-cut as expected. Aside from Alisha and Rose, it should also be mentioned this series has its share of genuine strong women characters, including Alisha’s mentor Maltran, and Alisha’s two loyal female knights, both of whom remain practically-uniformed the whole way through. The story itself may not be groundbreaking, but there is still enough of that ufotable charm to give it a soul and keep it refreshing on its own. I for one was just as entertained the second time through before writing this review, and am anticipating Funimation’s future blu-ray release.

Overall—8.5

Erica here: Thank you so much Eric! I appreciate you sharing this with everyone. And thanks to you and all the folks who help make Okazu so much fun!

Yumi has a successful time at a training exercise that includes the Marines and the Japanese Self-Defense Force. The JDSF guys are blown away at Yumi being 1) a woman and 2) a Marine and 3) fluent in Japanese. So impressed are they, they ask for her to being assigned to the JSDF as part of an exchange. So while her friends are elsewhere, Yumi heads up to Hokkaido, in order to spend time with the JSDF.

Jokes are gentle, and mostly designed to highlight the supreme awesomeness of the U.S. Marines. Yumi is so much less a doofus now, one finds themselves actually rooting for her to be President one day. ^_^

Both Rita and Linda are now dating seriously – Rita’s still with the JSDF’s Satoru and Linda with…Rita’s brother. Jose is a hoot and, in a page designed to explain that American’s don’t do that whole “confession of like” thing that whole manga series center on, we just sort of hang out and it develops from there, Jose gives Linda a token of his affection, a bloodstained knife he’s used in battle. She’s thrilled. It’s clearly a match made in heaven. ^_^ Although her brother and father are less enthused. Speaking of father’s Rita’s dad’s reaction to hearing that she’s seeing someone is…to hop in a Zodiac, ride up to the coast to where Rita’s unit is, and visit her wearing a carnival head. Okay then.

When Yumi gets back to Tokyo at last, she and Sawa and the gang take in another Takarazuka show. Linda nudges Yumi to point out that both Rita and Donna are laughing at the spectacle. I had to grin at that. When we went to Takarazuka together, she and Nogami-sensei had plenty of chance to watch me suppress giggles. ^_^

This week marked the second anniversary of Anastasia Moreno’s death. It was a complete coincidence that I was reading this book this week. It was not coincidence, however, the seventh and final volume of the series was released on July 14th, that very day. One more volume to go, but I’ll still be thinking of Ana all the time.

I also want to thank Nogami-sensei very much once again for keeping this series going and finishing it up. It was really important to Ana. Also, thank you Satoru-san for your kind friendship for these years.

The event was fascinating. Items of Lolita dress and culture were displayed as if they were exhibits in a museum or art gallery.

This was a really unique perspective, that allowed us to see the craftsmanship of the items, as opposed to seeing them as part of an ensemble,in which they are one piece of a larger statement.

The food itself focused on cute. Pocky, cupcakes and cookies adorned with cute girls from the comics in the book accompanied by fruit and cheese platters gave the whole thing a festival air.

The cookies were fantastic, decorated with characters and items that were illustrated in the book. You were literally able to eat a piece of the book!

After thanks and intros and the usual preliminaries, An and Jane took the stage to explain their experience and fascination with Lolita dress and culture. Here they explain the different sub-types of Lolita dress.

I have now had a chance to read the book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see Lolita culture not from an anthropological, outsider (haha, “objective”) perspective, but from people deeply embedded in a culture, the history of which is surprisingly hard to trace.

The book includes personal essays by An and Jane, as well as comics by both of them, and an essay and interview with Takemoto Novala, creator of Shimotsuma Monogatari, which was released here in the west as a book and movie titled Kamikaze Girls – both of which are well worth your time. The manga by the same name is less fabulous, but still a pleasant read. None of these essays really get deeply into historical roots of Lolita, but they do discuss why that is more complicated than it may initially seem. The essays touch on things like the assumption that Lolita is related to “Lolita complex” and why it is not, but mostly they are personal looks at the elements of Lolita culture that fascinate, consume and obsess those people inside the culture.

An’s comics are often about camaraderie and community of Lolita culture, where Jane’s often touch on the endless cycle of consumerism and self-abnegation – even self-erasure – that feeds the Gothic Lolita life.

In the end, the title is a brilliant summation of the sense of self we see in Lolita, that the outside is more and more beautiful, but the inside may be rotten, or even empty.

That said, the book, which starts on an extremely macabre note, ends with a poignant and touching story of friendship that expands past the initial boundaries of the community. Whether you find this book positive or negative will most likely depend on your relationship with your own obsessions. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

I found this book to be an extremely intimate portrait of Lolita, deep without being substantive; a fascinating reflection of the authors’ relationship with Lolita culture. It’s a good read and a valuable piece of research in English into a enduring Japanese subculture. From one subculture enthusiast to another, I raise a stick of Pocky to An and Jane and wish them success!

Erica Friedman is the Founder of Yuricon, ALC Publishing and Yurikon LLC, Social Media Without Delusion. LGBTQ and Geek Marketing Consultant. Proud to be a MLS.
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In addition, any comment that contains the word "objective" or "objectivity" is subject to rejection. This is a review blog - it's all personal opinions, all the time. Mine and yours.